Thoughts on Foraging

[CraigC]

Foraging locally usually requires a swamp tromp. Although you'll run across hardwood hammocks and pine lands interspersed with the cypress. I avoid the Pahayokee (river of grass) part as much as possible. Sawgrass isn't any fun. Come to think of it, it really was more survival than foraging and not something you would really do voluntarily.

Plant wise, there are cat-tail tubers, custard apples, elderberry flowers, wild papaya and if you are really ambitious and have a very sharp machete, there are hearts of palm to be had. You might run across some coconut palms, banana and abandoned orange trees, both sweet and sour.

Back when I used to teach Hunter Safety classes, one of the other instructors was a reserve Wildlife Officer. Some of the other instructors said that she could be dropped in the swamp naked with only a hunting knife, flint and steel and she would come back fully clothed and 10# heavier.

[erehweslefox]

Swamp tromp sounds like a lot of fun! I don't get out in the Swamp enough. My wife and I lived in Oklahoma for three years, spent a good amount of time Desert hiking in Texas, and did some prairie work in Nebraska and Kansas, and of course I love both my native Pennsylvania woods and the Ozarks, but just haven't done much swampwork yet. We are planning on a fall trip to Congaree, hoping to do a long weekend four day paddle down there, so that will get us out in the mud a bit.

[PrincessFiona60]

I have copious amounts of purslane in my yard, you are all welcome to come and graze.

[larry_stewart]

I remember the first time I even heard of purslane was on the food network, Might have even been Bobby Flay. Anytime I hear about a new fruit or vegetable I get excited. When I turned around to look at the tv and saw that it was a weed that Ive been hacking out of my lawn or garden for decades, I couldn't believe it. They were making it out to be some exotic - like vegetable.

That being said, its kinda cool to have something that accessible without having to pay an arm or leg for it and from a gardening going of view, don't even have to care for it. It just does its own thing.

[powerplantop]

Purslane is called verdolagas in Spanish, I have seen it at Hispanic markets.

[Andy M.]

Originally Posted by powerplantop

Purslane is called verdolagas in Spanish, I have seen it at Hispanic markets.

Thanks for the tip.

[blissful]

I have some tiny leaved weeds growing in mats between pavers that surround the garden and I'm not sure if it is purslane. It is like a succulent, matches pictures of purslane in some of the links posted, but the stem is not red, it is green. Can that also be purslane? I tasted a leaf, it is a little salty.

[Dawgluver]

Originally Posted by blissful

I have some tiny leaved weeds growing in mats between pavers that surround the garden and I'm not sure if it is purslane. It is like a succulent, matches pictures of purslane in some of the links posted, but the stem is not red, it is green. Can that also be purslane? I tasted a leaf, it is a little salty.

Purslane can also have green stems. They do grow in mats. Check out Google Images just to make sure. I get another mat-like weed that's not purslane here, but it's not succulent.

[Cooking Goddess]

I grew up having to weed purslane from between the sandstone sidewalk pavers and from the garden. I guess my Mom didn't know it was edible - it never showed up on our table, but it would have.

We've never really foraged in my family. I do remember the smell of spring onion in the air as I would drive along one of the Cleveland Metropark connecting parkways on my way home from work. In spite of stopping and looking, I never did see "spring onions", only these tall blades that looked a little like thin daffodil leaves. Needless to say, I'm no where near them now that I know that they were ramps! Then again, ramps weren't exactly a trendy ingredient back then. We also tried what we thought were fiddleheads in our backyard shortly after we moved to MA and found out they were edible. Um, not the ones in our yard. Apparently they aren't the right fern. Wouldn't matter if they were poisonous or not, they were so very bitter we tossed them out after one bite each.

[GotGarlic]

Purslane isn't new. It was grown in the kitchen gardens in Colonial Williamsburg.